There will come a time when you attempt to do something, be it big or small, and you will not succeed on your first, second, or thousandth try. At some point, you will have to decide that enough is enough, and it’s just not going to happen.

We’ve all been there. Things are going well. The future looks promising, and even if you’re not 100% sure how your plans are going to work out, you’re pretty confident it’ll be ok.

And then it happens. It could be an illness, a missed opportunity, or failed test. Your world seems to crumble a little bit. What you were holding out for didn’t materialize and you’re left holding the pieces of your plans that now seem to be completely useless.

We're trying to do a lot here, in this life. Whether that's just to create the life we want for ourselves, to build a new company based on our passions, or to love those around us as much as they deserve. So we develop plans on how to make that happen.

The only problem is that our plan is five pages long.

It consists of building a place for ourselves to be seen, meeting people, networking, learning about our craft, all the while keeping ourselves as involved in our social circles as possible and working to make sure that we are keeping our bodies healthy.

Sounds like a tall order, so how do we keep ourselves sane? How do we deal with being overwhelmed?

I'll start by saying that if I don't have all the answers. I don't pretend to and I don't think anyone does.

Instead I think the focus should be on asking the right questions to get people thinking of their own answers.

"Why do you do what do?"

This question popped into my head the other day. Why do any of us do what we do? We could go down the existential route of looking at why we exist, but I think that's a bigger question for another time. I'm more focused on why do we pick the activities we like and why do we pursue the opportunities we do.

Often times we come up with reasons why need to leave our jobs. It could be that we hate our boss, or the work is incredibly boring, or the office politics are getting to us, or something else. These can be valid concerns and despite trying hard to be passionate about your work, may be issues that just can't be resolved without leaving.

But before you quit your job, either to find work elsewhere or to start your own business, I would suggest a slightly different approach.

Set a date six months from today. On that day, you will be giving your two weeks notice.

Are you really open to change? I'm not referring to a different cereal for breakfast, though for some people that really is a huge change. Don't get in between me and my Honey Bunches of Oats.

I'm thinking bigger. Bolder. What if tomorrow your job just suddenly vanished? Would you be able to cope, to regroup to come up with a strategy to redefine your career?

Be open to change. When it comes time to following your passion, change is inevitable. Whether that's changing your job, where you live, or even just changing your mindset, change is a part of it. Embrace it.